Toothbrushes generally comprise a head carrying a dental cleaning tool, normally a cluster of bristles in a toothbrush, and a grip handle, arranged along a longitudinal head-handle direction. Often there is a thinned neck region between the head and the part of the handle which is gripped by the user during use. It is known to incorporate a resiliently flexible region in the handle or between the head and the handle to help to relieve excessive pressure from being applied to the teeth or other mouth tissues of the user during implementing. Examples of such resiliently flexible regions in toothbrushes are disclosed in EP 0 0336 641A (Lingner+Fischer GmbH) and DE 39 234 95 (M+C Schiffer GmbH).
Different users of toothbrushes may prefer or need toothbrushes having different degrees of resilient flexibility of such a region. At present the user has no option except to purchase a complete different implement having a selected degree of flexibility of such a region.
It is an object of this invention to provide a dental cleaning implement particularly a toothbrush having a resiliently flexible region in its structure wherein the resilience and/or flexibility of the region may be altered by the user.
According to this invention a dental cleaning implement is provided having a head which carries a dental cleaning tool, and a grip handle, the head and handle being disposed along a longitudinal head-handle direction, the implement comprising longitudinally disposed first and second parts which are joined together by means of a flexible link which allows the implement to bend about the link under the action of pressure applied in a direction sideways of the longitudinal direction, situated longitudinally between the first and second parts there is a member which is rotatable about the longitudinal direction of the implement, and such that when the implement bends about the flexible link the first and/or second parts adjacent to the member bear compressibly upon the member, the member comprising circumferentially disposed relatively less and more resiliently hard regions, so that as the member is rotated the first and second parts can be caused to bear compressibly upon selected less or more hard regions.